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ABSTRACT
Mercury chloride toxicity is a serious health concern, especially its harmful effects on organs such as the spleen. Newbouldia laevis, a deciduous tree of the Bignoniaceae family, a plant with roots in traditional African medicine, is known for its medicinal properties but its ability to counteract mercury chloride-induced splenic toxicity is largely unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol extract of Newbouldia laevis against mercury chlorideinduced spleen toxicity in Wistar rats. Thirty (30) adult Wistar rats weighing between 160g and 200g were randomly assigned into six groups of five (5) rats each. Group A served as control, group B rats were treated with 250mg/kg body weight of Newbouldia laevis ethanolic extract; group C rats were treated with 500mg/kg body weight of Newbouldia laevis ethanol extract; group D rats were treated with 250mg/kg body weight of Newbouldia laevis and 4mg/kg body weight of mercury chloride, group E rats were treated daily with oral administration of 500mg/kg body weight of ethanol extract of Newbouldia laevis and 4mg/kg body weight of mercury chloride, group F rats were treated with 4mg/kg body weight of mercury chloride only. After the administration period of 28 days, the rats were sacrificed under chloroform anesthesia. Blood was taken for heamatological assessment and the spleen harvested for histological assessments. Results showed that treatment with the extract led to various outcomes, including a significant decrease in white blood cell count in rats treated with 500mg/kg of the extract alone. However, no significant changes were observed in lymphocyte count, mean cell volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, or mean platelet volume. Body and organ weights showed no significant changes except for a decrease in body weight in the 500mg/kg extract-only group and the 250mg/kg + mercury chloride group. Histological analysis revealed varying effects, with the extract showing no effect on the follicle but causing red cell sequestration. Mercury chloride induced splenic necrosis and follicular hypertrophy, while the combination of a low extract dose and mercury chloride showed a normal follicle but increased red cell sequestration. These findings suggest that Newbouldia laevis may have protective properties against mercury chloride-induced spleen damage.
